I Wish I Had Missed
by Livin4Jesus
Summary: He never missed. That was a fact, a fact that he took pride in. But for once in his life he wished that, just this once, he had missed. Because if he had missed then his best friend wouldn't be at death's door. No Slash.
1. Chapter 1

**************Thanks so much to Shakespeare's Lemonade and the guys over on The Beta Branch for beta(ing) this.**

******Disclaimer: I own nothing except my pre-ordered copy of The Avengers on blu-ray.**

**I Wish I Had Missed**

**Chapter 1**

Clint shifted his quiver on his shoulder as he stalked around another corner, sticking to the shadows. Even though it was the middle of the day in Manhattan and he was decked out complete with bow and quiver of arrows, he didn't draw any attention. No one would see him unless he wanted them to.

He was currently on assignment following a known assassin who was in New York. SHIELD wanted to know why he was here and, if he was on a job, who the target was. But SHIELD didn't want the guy to know they were watching him, and this guy was good. Not just anybody would be able to track him unnoticed. So Clint got the job since he could follow someone and even kill them without so much as leaving a trace.

He had been following the guy all morning and he was pretty sure he wasn't here to kill anybody. From what he could tell the guy was here on vacation. Even assassins needed time off apparently. All in all the assignment was going pretty well. That was until…

"Clint?"

Clint froze. He had been made and not only that but that voice could only belong to one person. Clint looked over his shoulder.

"Tony?" he hissed.

Clint was standing unmoving in the shadows of an alley. How on Earth did Tony Stark see him there and more importantly what was Tony Stark doing there in the first place?

Clint grabbed the front of Tony's shirt and jerked him into the alley.

"How did you see me?" he demanded.

"Clint," Tony said looking at the archer as if he had just asked the world's stupidest question. "You and the rest of the Avengers live at my tower and we all train together. I would recognize, slash notice, any of you anywhere."

Clint had to give him that one. Since the Avengers had moved into Stark Tower they had all gotten to know each other pretty well.

"What are you doing here?"

"There's this new restaurant that I wanted to try. I was on my way there when I saw you. What are _you_ doing here?" Tony replied.

Clint just stared at him.

"Fine," Tony said pulling out his phone. "I'll just hack SHIELD and find out myself."

"All right," Clint said, exasperatedly. "I'm tracking a known assassin to find out why he's in the country."

"Don't assassins usually go places so they can, oh I don't know, kill someone?" Tony said.

"That's what I'm trying to determine Metal Brains. I'm here to find out _if_ he's going to kill someone and if so who."

"So you can stop him?" Tony asked.

"Not necessarily. It depends on whether or not it's someone we want to stay alive," Clint answered only half joking.

"You mean there are some people that if that assassin wanted to kill, you would just let him?" Tony asked in genuine curiosity.

"Sometimes. It usually depends on just how annoying the target is," Clint said dryly.

Tony was pretty sure Clint was messing with him but the archer was so good at keeping a straight face that Tony couldn't always be sure.

"So, if some assassin targeted me, would you stop it?" Tony asked.

Clint didn't say a word. He simply stared at him. After a minute Tony couldn't take it anymore.

"Well?" he asked.

"I'm trying to decide," Clint said.

Tony belatedly realized that he had blindly walked right into that one.

Clint smirked at him as he saw Tony's dismay at having set himself up for the jab. Bantering was something the two of them did often. They enjoyed matching wits and trying to get the better of each other. Even though the rest of the team groaned and protested every time they went at it the two of them knew that, secretly, the other Avengers actually found it entertaining. It was sort of a challenge of who could best who. Tony had just unintentionally helped Clint win this round and he knew it.

Clint turned his attention back to the busy street and cursed.

"What?" Tony asked following his gaze.

"He's gone."

"The assassin?"

Clint nodded. He had only turned away for a minute while he was talking to Tony, but apparently that was all it took. Before the archer could do anything, however, Tony held his phone out to him. He looked at it to see the traffic camera footage from a few minutes ago playing on the small screen. Clint stopped himself before he asked how Tony had done that. When it came to technology Tony Stark was king. The billionaire could hack into just about anything. In fact Clint had yet to see a program or device that Tony couldn't hack.

So instead of asking stupid questions Clint watched the screen to see where his assignment had gone. As soon as he knew he took off across the street to the alley the assassin had taken.

Tony followed on the archer's heels and watched in dumbfounded amazement. Clint Barton managed to blend in and traverse a street with high traffic as well as the two busy sidewalks on either side of it without calling attention to himself. The way he moved caused people to basically overlook him (which was saying something considering the man was carrying a bow in his hand and had a quiver of arrows strapped to his back) unless someone were specifically watching him (which Tony was doing so that he could follow him but even then he kept losing sight of Clint as the man ducked and weaved between people).

The billionaire managed to stay with the archer though. He stopped right behind Clint as the marksman stood to the side of the alley leaning against the wall just short of the corner.

"What are you doing, Stark?" Clint asked as the man came up behind him.

"I thought you could use some help, Barton," Tony stated with his signature smirk.

Clint just shook his head and rolled his eyes before jumping around the corner and into the alley. Tony followed right behind him. The alley was empty but it cut through to another street. Clint started forward with Tony falling into step beside him. They were only a few feet into the alley when Clint saw movement and a glint of light off steel.

Clint grabbed Tony and shoved him to the right and into a crouch. The wall they had been standing next to exploded as it was peppered with bullets and startled screams could be heard from the passersby. The shots lasted only a moment before the assassin turned and ran. Clint stood and took off after him yelling over his shoulder at Tony as he went.

"Stay here!"

Tony, however, hardly ever did what he was told and he _never_ abandoned his teammates. He took off after Clint.

The two of them weaved in and out of traffic and people as they chased the killer. People scattered in all directions as they saw the assassin's gun and Clint's bow. The people around them were definitely noticing them now, Tony mused. Several bystanders even seem to recognize them as they sprinted past.

After about five minutes of running, the assassin sprinted into Central Park and made a beeline for some nearby trees.

Clint stopped at the treeline and held up a hand for Tony to do so as well.

"Aren't we going to follow him?" Tony asked as he panted for breath.

"No, _we _are not. _I _am," Clint said and quickly continued before Tony could argue. "It's too dangerous in there. He could be hiding anywhere and you don't have your suit to protect you."

"But-" Tony began, but Clint cut him off.

"Tony, please, just stay here."

Tony nodded reluctantly and Clint gave him an appreciative look before turning and disappearing into the trees.

Tony waited just out of the treeline and stared into the darkness of the forest for any signs of movement. This time he had every intention of doing what Clint had asked but that all changed when he saw the assassin just within the forest about twenty yards to his right. The assassin didn't see Tony but was instead looking at something that was deeper in the forest that Tony couldn't see. After a moment Tony saw a feral smile cross the assassin's face and he instantly knew what, or rather _who_, the man was watching.

_Clint,_Tony thought.

He had to warn him. Without further hesitation, Tony quickly and quietly moved into the woods and headed in the general direction that the assassin had been looking. He had to find Clint and he had to find him first. Contrary to popular belief, Tony could be really quiet when he wanted to, he just didn't want to very often.

As he moved through the forest unseen he strained his ears to pick up any sound. Finally he heard a faint rustle. It could have been a breeze ruffling a leaf or even a bird or some other animal but something told him it was Clint. He headed toward the noise and after a few minutes he saw what he had been looking for, a crouched figure that was all but invisible amid the brush. But just as he spotted Clint he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see the assassin standing about ten yards to his right. He had yet to spot Tony but there was no question as to whether he saw Clint. Tony watched as the assassin fingered the gun in his hand. Clint still had his back to them and Tony knew he had to warn his friend before the assassin killed him.

If Tony had stopped to think he would have realized just how stupid the idea of running up behind a deadly spy, in the middle of a dangerous situation, was. But unfortunately Tony didn't think. He simply knew he had to help Clint and so he stood from where he was crouched and ran toward Clint shouting.

"Clint!"

Tony saw Clint spin around and the billionaire realized his error just before the arrow left the bow. Tony suddenly felt something hit his chest hard, the impact sending him to the ground as pain, the likes of which he had only ever felt in Afghanistan, exploded in his chest and severed his connection with reality.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much for all the favs, alerts, and reviews. They make me update faster *hint, hint* ;).**

**Thanks to The Beta Branch crew for the beta.**

**Disclaimer: Again, still only own my pre-ordered copy of The Avengers on blu-ray. Now if September 25th would just hurry up and get here.**

**I Wish I Had Missed**

**Chapter 2**

Clint crouched, motionless, among the trees listening for any and every little sound. He heard a slight rustle behind him, just to his right. It was so faint that it could be nothing but he suspected that it was the assassin. He remained frozen so as to not give away his position until he was sure. He was so focused on that area that it came as a surprise when he suddenly heard a rustle directly behind him, followed by the sound of someone crashing through the woods at a dead run. That assassin was good. Clint hadn't heard a thing from that direction. The guy had been able to sneak up on him, which was no small feat.

With only seconds to act, he allowed his instincts and training to take over. In one fluid motion he stood, spun around, and brought up his already loaded bow. He couldn't fully see the assassin through the shadows, but he didn't need to. Clint relied on his ears and what movement he could see to pinpoint the assassin's location. Clint drew and leveled his bow at the figure running toward him. He was vaguely aware of someone shouting as the string slipped off his fingers and the arrow shot forward. Clint heard a grunt and saw the figure crash to the ground as the black arrow found it's mark.

Before Clint could even begin to relax, however, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. It was coming from the same direction as the rustling he had heard earlier. In the blink of an eye he had another arrow nocked, the bow drawn, and pointed straight at… the assassin? He didn't have time to think as the man brought the gun in his hand up to point at Clint. The assassin may have had a gun but Clint was faster. Before the assassin could even think about pulling the trigger the arrow left Clint's bow and buried itself in the left side of the assassin's chest, piercing his heart, and killing him before he even hit the ground.

As the assassin fell lifelessly to the forest floor, Clint's mind whirled with a sudden, heart-stopping, realization. There had been one assassin, one man, that he was tracking and yet… he had shot twice. His mind replayed the last thirty seconds. The figure that had been running toward him suddenly seemed familiar. A feeling of horror washed over him as one small detail finally registered. He had heard a shout just as he released the arrow, but he hadn't registered the familiar voice or the word that had been shouted.

_Clint!_

"No," Clint whispered.

He lunged forward toward where the figure had fallen.

"No. No. No. Please no," he said hoping, beyond all hope, that he was wrong.

His fears were confirmed as he was met with a sight that would haunt his nightmares for years to come. For just a moment Clint was sure that this had to be some terrible nightmare. It just couldn't be real, and yet it was.

There, lying on the ground in front of him, was Tony with a black arrow sticking out of his chest.

Tony took a shuddering breath and the sound jolted Clint out of his shock and brought him back to reality.

He dropped his bow and crouched down beside Tony to assess the damage.

The arrow was buried halfway into the upper right side of Tony's chest, next to his arc reactor. The wound was bleeding profusely. The placement of the arrow and Tony's struggle to breathe told Clint that it had hit the billionaire's right lung. Clint couldn't help but be grateful that it _had _hit Tony's right side, lung and all, because that meant that it didn't hit his left side and subsequently his heart. That was about all there was to be happy about, though. The truth was that just because the arrow hadn't hit Tony's heart didn't mean he wasn't still going to die. Clint knew that if he didn't get Tony help, and soon, then it wouldn't matter that the arrow didn't hit his heart the end result would still be the same, and Clint was determined to make sure that it didn't end that way. Clint was going to make sure that Tony Stark _did not _die. Not today and not by his hand.

Clint reached over and positioned his hands around the arrow. He pressed down on the wound in an attempt to stem the blood flow.

Tony cried out at the pressure and Clint visibly flinched.

"I'm sorry, Tony. I'm so sorry," he said.

"Not… your fault," Tony forced out between gasping breaths. "Unless it was… on purpose. Then I'm… gonna be ticked."

For just a moment Clint's heart lifted and a small smirk graced his features. Tony was joking, and if Tony was joking then he couldn't be too bad off. At least that's what Clint kept telling himself.

"Well can you blame me?" Clint said trying to sound normal as he attempted to keep Tony awake and distracted. "Your constant jabbering could drive anyone to violence. It's a miracle that I lasted as long as I did."

Tony smiled slightly. "I always figured… when one of you… finally snapped… it'd be… Romanoff."

"Yeah, I think we all figured that one Tony," Clint said trying to hide his worry with sarcasm. "You have given her plenty of reason to want to strangle, beat, or otherwise maim you."

Tony chuckled but it instantly turned into a grimace as the pain flared in his chest.

"Tony, where's your phone?" Clint asked. He needed to call for help but he didn't have his phone with him; of all the times for him to leave his phone behind.

"Pocket," Tony said breathlessly. His hand weakly moved to his right pocket but Clint stopped him.

"I got it," he said. He pulled the phone out of Tony's pocket with one hand while the other tried vainly to staunch the blood seeping through his fingers.

Tony's phone was slick with blood, causing Clint to almost drop it in his haste to dial the number. He put the phone to his ear and used his shoulder to hold it in place while he returned his hand to the task of keeping as much of Tony's blood in his body as possible.

After a couple of rings the phone picked up.

"Stark?" Obviously Nick Fury had caller ID.

"Sir!" Clint said as Fury's voice came over the line.

"Barton?" Fury asked, clearly wondering why Hawkeye was calling him on Stark's phone.

"Sir, I need an emergency medical airlift from Central Park _now__!_"

Under normal circumstances no matter how bad the situation Clint always remained calm. These were far from normal circumstances, though. Clint was aware that his voice sounded panicky but there wasn't much he could do to change that. The slight tone of desperation that registered in his voice was nowhere near what he was actually feeling so he figured he was doing a pretty admirable job of staying in control.

"What happened?" Fury asked, even as he dispatched the medevac to the location of the phone Barton was using.

Fury did not like the sound of his agent's voice. He sounded distressed, and there were very few things that could actually distress Clint Barton and even fewer that could cause that distress to bleed through in his voice.

"Tony's hurt. It's bad," was all that Clint said and Fury didn't press for details. It wasn't important at the moment.

"The chopper is on the way, ETA ten minutes but you need to get him to one of the clearings if you can. The chopper can't land where you are and it will take time to find you in the woods. Can you move him?"

"Yeah, I think so," Clint replied as he ran the possibilities through his head.

"Good. Leave the phone on so we can hone in on your position."

"Yes sir," Clint said before pocketing the phone and turning back to Tony. "Tony. Tony!"

Clint started to panic as Tony remained unresponsive but after a moment he stirred and Clint's heart rate returned to some semblance of normal. Tony dragged his eyes open to look at Clint.

"Tony, help is on the way. They will be here in ten minutes. They can't land here so we have to get to one of the clearings." Tony nodded his understanding and Clint took a deep breath before stating the bad news. "Tony, I can't risk moving you with the arrow still in your chest if it shifts it could do more damage." He paused a moment before finishing what had to be said. "Tony, I have to take the arrow out."

Tony took a moment to process the words. His eyes widened slightly as Clint's meaning washed over him. This was going to _hurt. _Bad. But he knew that Clint wouldn't have suggested it unless it was absolutely necessary. And he trusted Clint with his life. He looked Clint in the eye and gave him a slight nod of acceptance.

Clint knew what Tony was thinking, he could see it in his eyes. Tony gave him a slight nod anyway and that small show of trust was something that simultaneously strengthened him, and crushed him with guilt.

_He _had done this to Tony. It was his fault that Tony was in pain and he was about to be the cause of even more pain and yet, Tony still trusted him. Never before in his life had Clint Barton felt more unworthy of something.

"I'm sorry, Tony," he said again.

Tony nodded at him. "Do it."

Clint grabbed the hem of his shirt and ripped off a strip, being careful to keep any blood off of it, then he folded it around a short stick and held it in front of Tony's mouth.

"Bite down on this," he ordered.

Tony took it in his mouth and waited.

Clint wiped as much blood as he could off his hands and the arrow shaft so it wouldn't slip. He placed one hand on Tony's chest, the arrow sitting in the crook between his thumb and forefinger. With his other hand he grabbed the arrow as close to Tony's body as he could and, with one last glance at Tony, began to pull.

Tony bit down hard on the stick in his mouth and tried not to writhe and thrash on the ground as his world exploded in pain.

Clint pulled with steady pressure on the arrow, being sure to pull it straight up so as not to break it. He focused solely on what he was doing refusing to look at Tony's face, knowing the pain he was causing his friend. Clint could feel the rapid rise and fall of Tony's chest beneath his hand as the billionaire forced himself to remain still as he struggled through the pain. After what seemed like an eternity to both of them, the arrow came free and Clint pressed his hand firmly over Tony's wound. He set the arrow aside and grabbed the makeshift bandage, made from more of his shirt, and pressed it over the hole.

Without removing the pressure from the wound, Clint grabbed his bow with his free hand and slung it across his back. Then he placed the bloodied arrow, which was already mostly dried, into his quiver. His quiver suddenly felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, but Clint knew he deserved to have to carry the instrument that had injured and could still quite possibly be the cause of his best friend's death. He wasn't going to hide the evidence of what he did. This was his fault and he was going to own up to it. Because whatever punishment he received, it would never be strong enough in his book and no matter how much his friends might hate him now, it could never compare to how much he hated himself. He wasn't running away from the truth.

Clint turned to look at Tony's face to see that the billionaire was still conscious and struggling to calm his rapid breathing. Clint had hoped that Tony would pass out during the removal of the arrow so that he could be spared the pain of the arrow (as well as the coming pain of having to move), but Tony just couldn't catch any breaks today.

"Tony, we have to move."

Tony nodded slightly. Clint slid his arms under Tony's shoulders and gently lifted him into a sitting position. As soon as Tony was upright he began to cough, deep choking coughs. After a few moments Tony quieted with one final cough that sprayed blood out in front of him and down his chin.

"Crap!" Clint yelled.

He had been afraid of that. The arrow had definitely punctured Tony's lung. Now that the arrow was gone there was nothing to inhibit the blood from flowing right into Tony's lung. Time was against them now more than ever. Not only was Tony hurt and bleeding, but he was slowly drowning in his own blood.

"My sentiments exactly," Tony managed to say as he fought to catch his breath.

"Tony, we have to move now!" Clint said, ignoring the comment as he began to pull Tony to his feet.

Tony helped as much as he could, but he was so weak he had to lean most of his weight on Clint. The archer wrapped an arm around Tony's back and put Tony's arm around his shoulders, all the while keeping as much pressure on Tony's wound as possible.

Clint half-carried, half-dragged Tony in the direction of the closest clearing that was big enough for the chopper to land. Tony stumbled and staggered next to him, wincing and occasionally groaning, as the pain flared with every movement.

Every few feet, Tony would cough as more blood seeped into his lung. Clint couldn't help but flinch every time blood flew from Tony's lips. Clint increased their pace. They were taking too much time**,** time that Tony simply didn't have. Finally, five minutes later, they reached the clearing and Clint eased Tony down to sit with his back against one of the trees.

He remembered the phone in his pocket and pulled it out. It was still connected and he put it to his ear. "Sir? Are you still there?"

"Barton, how's Stark?" Fury said as he heard Clint's voice come back onto the line.

"Not good," Clint said, lowering his voice in the hopes that maybe Tony wouldn't pay attention to what he was saying. "He's lost a lot of blood, he's got a punctured lung, and he's coughing up blood."

On the other end of the phone Fury cursed. "Can he make it?"

"How long until the medevac gets here?"

"Two minutes."

"Yeah. Yeah, he can make it," Clint said with conviction.

"The medevac will bring you two directly to the helicarrier. I'll have a medical team standing by, and I'll contact the rest of the Avengers and have them brought here."

"Thank you."

A moment later and Clint could hear the sound of chopper blades approaching.

"The chopper is here. I have to go," Clint said, then hung up the phone before Fury could say anything more.

"Tony?" Clint shook Tony's shoulder gently and the billionaire cracked open his eyelids. "The chopper is almost here."

He couldn't tell if Tony understood him or not but he couldn't do anything more than wait for the chopper to land.

The wind from the blades buffeted them as the chopper sat down in the middle of the clearing and the medics jumped out. Within seconds, they had Tony strapped to a stretcher and were working to stabilize him even as they carried him to the medevac helicopter, with Clint right on their heels. By the time they reached the chopper Tony was unconscious. They loaded Tony into the chopper and secured him then climbed in. Clint leapt in after them and sat where he could see Tony but still be out of the way. The helicopter took off having only spent about a minute on the ground thanks to the speed of the experienced medics.

The medics worked quickly to try to stem the blood flow as heart monitors and IVs were connected to the billionaire.

"It looks like the bullet is still in him," one of the medics said.

"No," Clint said with a shake of his head. "There's no bullet."

The medic looked at him and was about to ask how there could be no bullet but something in Clint's eyes stopped him and he simply nodded and returned to his work.

Clint fell silent having done all he could do. Now he just had to wait, and hope that Tony would be all right.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Thank you guys so much for the reviews! I wanted to respond to each one individually but RL has been nuts lately. I did read each and every one and I appreciate them all. **

**Rye: I laughed out loud at your review. I could just picture Tony texting Clint 'u r about 2 die' and Clint would be like 'oh thnx' then shoot the guy. :)**

**Thanks once again to the guys over on The Beta Branch for the beta (All mistakes are still mine).**

**Disclaimer: Guess what! I still don't own the Avengers!**

**Chapter 3**

Ten minutes after picking up Tony and Clint, the medevac landed on the helicarrier. They were met by the medical personnel that Fury had promised. The medics unloaded Tony and placed him onto the awaiting gurney, which was then whisked away to the infirmary. Clint followed them all the way to the infirmary door. There, he was forced to stop as the medical personnel rushed Tony into emergency surgery. Once again, Clint was forced to wait. He sat down heavily on a bench across from the infirmary door and braced his elbows on his knees. His head dropped onto his chest as the adrenalin wore off and the stress of the situation caught up with him.

This couldn't be happening. Not again. He had shot another friend, but this time he couldn't blame it on a madman. This time it was all on _him_. It was all _his_ fault. Clint clinched his eyes shut and clasped his hands together. He took a deep shaky breath, fighting for control. He was perilously close to losing it. He had shot someone he cared about, a friend, a brother, and it was killing him.

He was brought out of his spiraling thoughts by the sound of several hurried footsteps coming down the hall. He didn't look up, already knowing that it was the other Avengers. After living with and spending so much time around the others, he could recognize the sound of their movements almost anywhere. He didn't need to look up and if he was being honest with himself (which he probably wasn't) he really didn't _want_ to look up. He didn't want to meet their eyes. While he wasn't going to run from telling the truth, he wasn't opposed to delaying it for a bit. The choice was taken out of his hands, though, when he heard a voice call his name.

"Clint?"

He looked up and immediately wished he hadn't. He found himself looking straight into the worried and slightly puffy eyes of Pepper Potts, the rest of the Avengers standing behind her. The overwhelming guilt he had felt earlier came crashing into him once more.

Pepper must have seen something in his expression because she paled and looked on the verge of collapse. Clint quickly stood and grabbed her upper arms as she swayed.

"Is he…?" she broke off, unable to finish the question.

"He's alive!" Clint rushed to assure her.

"Oh, thank God!" She let out a breath and looked on the verge of tears. Whether they were tears of joy or fear Clint wasn't sure. "What happened?" she asked.

"That's what I would like to know," Fury said, appearing beside the group.

Clint closed his eyes as he let go of Pepper and turned his back to the group. How did he tell a woman that he accidentally shot the man she loves? How did he tell his closest friends, that one of their friends was in critical condition because of him? How did he tell his boss that he royally screwed up?

Clint didn't have the answers to those questions. Instead of trying to find the right words, he turned back to them and pulled an arrow from his quiver. He handed it to Pepper. She took it with a look of confusion that matched the looks on the others' faces. It took all of them a minute to realize that there was something on the black shaft, but it only took a second for them to realize exactly _what_ was on the arrow. As one, six pairs of eyes snapped up to look at him; each with varying degrees of disbelief and horror at the implications. If this wasn't so serious it might have been funny but this was _anything_ but funny.

"What…?" Pepper whispered, clearly not wanting to know the answer but needing to know all the same.

Clint could tell she was hoping, beyond hope, that he wasn't suggesting what she thought. Unfortunately he didn't have a choice but to dash that hope.

"I- I didn't know it was him. I swear! I told him to wait. He wasn't supposed to be there…" Clint trailed off as his throat constricted.

For one of the very few times in his life Clint Barton had to fight back tears. The looks of horror on his friends' faces were almost too much. Out of everything he had done in his life, this was one of the few that really hit him hard. He never missed. That was a fact, a fact that he took pride in. But for once in his life he wished that, just this once, he_ had_ missed. Because if he had missed then his best friend wouldn't be at death's door.

"Barton? Are you saying that… that you _shot _Stark?" Fury demanded.

"It was an accident," Clint whispered. He all but collapsed onto the bench and put his head in his hands. He couldn't bare to look at them anymore. He couldn't bare to face them. It was Loki all over again.

Fury reached down and picked up the arrow from where Pepper had dropped the offending instrument moments before. Pepper ignored the director and walked over sit down beside Clint on the bench. She reached over and pulled his hands away from his face.

"Clint?"

When he refused to look at her she reached out and gently grabbed his chin. She turned his head toward her, forcing him to look at her. He met her gaze reluctantly, guilt plain in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Pepper," he whispered.

"What exactly happened?" she asked.

He took a deep breath and rubbed his hands over his face. He turned and stared at the floor. He had promised himself to tell them everything and not run from the truth, but he had never promised to do it while looking them in the eyes.

"I was on an assignment tracking an assassin in New York. While I was following him Tony happened to see me."

"Tony _saw_ you? While you were _secretly_ following an assassin? _Tony?_" Natasha asked sarcastically and a bit incredulously.

"Yeah, I must really be losing my touch if Stark can spot me," Clint replied, with a slight smirk. He became serious again. "We talked for a minute and when I looked up my target was gone. Thanks to Tony hacking into the traffic cam footage, I was able to see that the guy had gone through a nearby alley. I took off to the alley and Tony followed me. He said he wanted to help." Clint paused a moment remembering Tony's smirk just before they entered the alley.

_I should have stopped him there. I shouldn't have let him come with me, _Clint thought but he didn't voice that thought. Instead he continued his story.

"We entered the alley and had gone just a few feet when I saw a flash of light. I grabbed Tony and pushed him down just as bullets ripped into the wall beside us."

Pepper gasped. Clint winced at the sound and took another deep breath to collect himself.

"The guy only shot a few rounds at us before he ran. I took off after him and yelled at Tony to stay there but as usual he didn't listen."

He heard sounds of agreement come from the others. They were all aware of just how well Tony followed orders.

"We chased the assassin for a few minutes before he ran into Central Park and disappeared into the woods. The guy could have been hiding anywhere and Tony didn't have his armor, so I told him to wait at the treeline while I went after the guy. I was crouched down in some brush, listening for the assassin, when I heard some rustling coming from a little behind me on my right. I was pretty sure it was the assassin but I couldn't be sure without turning around. I didn't want to compromise my position if I was wrong, so I didn't move." He swallowed thickly and the others knew the next part wasn't going to be good.

"It was only a few seconds later when I heard loud rustling coming from directly behind me. It was followed by the sound of someone running towards me. I thought I had been wrong on where the assassin was. I didn't have time to think, just react. I stood up and spun around with my bow drawn. I couldn't make out any details of the person coming at me. All I could see was a figure. I knew the guy had a gun so I didn't have time to wait for him to get closer. I drew my bow and shot. Just before I let go of the string I thought I heard a shout. It was only later that I realized the shout had been Tony's voice calling my name."

The tension was almost palpable. The others remained quiet, though, not wanting to push Clint as he paused again.

"Just a second after I shot, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see the assassin raising his gun at me, but I was faster. Um… his body… he's still in the woods. We probably need to take care of that," he said, sending a quick glance at Fury before returning his gaze to the floor.

"I'll send a team to take care of it," Fury said.

"After the assassin was… taken care of," Clint said, wincing at how cliche his choice of words sounded, "I ran over to where I saw the first person fall and there was Tony. He was on the ground with my arrow stuck in his chest."

He closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. He turned and looked at Pepper again. "I am so sorry."

"Clint, I can't forgive you," Pepper said and everyone in the room (besides Clint who had been expecting as much and felt he fully deserved it) looked at her in shock and disbelief. Clint once again became fascinated with the floor.

Pepper ignored them and continued talking to Clint.

"I can't forgive you because there is nothing to forgive," she said causing Clint's head to snap up. He looked at her incredulously. "It was an accident," she continued, "a terrible one, but an accident nonetheless. This was not your fault and you have nothing to be sorry for. If you want to blame someone, blame that killer who dragged you two into that situation in the first place. Just don't blame yourself, because I sure don't."

Clint could see the sincerity in her eyes. He risked a look at his team and saw the same thing in all of their eyes as well. He felt a huge weight lift off of him at their understanding and support. The dark images, from a time when his actions hadn't been his own, receded just a bit.

"Thank you," he said catching all of their eyes.

Then he met Fury's gaze.

"Sir, I know I deserve some sort of punishment or reprimand-" Clint began.

"For what, Agent?" Fury interrupted him.

"For- For shooting Tony," Clint said, confused. He thought it was obvious.

"You _want_ me to punish you?" Fury asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, no but-"

"Good, because I have more important things to do than doling out punishments," Fury interrupted him once more. "Now unless you have anything else I should know, I have a dead assassin I have to take care of."

"No Sir," Clint replied with a knowing look in his eye. "And thank you."

"For what?" Fury asked innocently.

"Just… thank you," Clint answered simply.

Fury gave him one last look before turning and disappearing up the hall. Clint watched him go with a small smirk until Pepper's voice brought his attention back to her.

"How long until we can see him?" she asked. Her thoughts were once more on her injured boyfriend.

"I'm not sure," Clint said. "They rushed him into surgery, so it will probably be at least a few hours."

"Then we wait," she said.

"Yeah, we wait." _Again,_ he added mentally.

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**If you loved it, review. If you hated it, review (but be nice). If you're indifferent, review. If you... Yeah, you get the point. Please review. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews! I tried to respond individually to all of the signed reviews. I think I got them all but If I missed you I'm sorry. If I didn't respond to you it was probably because the review was unsigned or private messaging was disabled. As for those reviewers I will thank you here. Thank you so much!**

**Thanks also go to The Beta Branch for the beta.**

**Disclaimer: I own the Avengers! Oh wait, never mind. That was just a dream. :( **

**Chapter 4**

Two hours later saw all of them still waiting outside the infirmary. During their wait, the six of them had alternated between sitting on the bench, the floor, and just standing (or in Clint's case, pacing). At the moment, Pepper and Natasha were occupying the bench. Bruce was sitting on the floor next to Pepper, offering moral support. Opposite from Bruce was Steve, sitting on the floor just to the right of the infirmary door, facing the three of them. Thor was sitting in a similar position just to the left of the door, and Clint was pacing back and forth between the team and the end of the hallway.

Just as they were all on the verge of going crazy (Clint from the waiting and the others from Clint's incessant pacing) the doctor finally came out. They all leapt to their feet (or in Clint's case walked back down the hall) and turned to the doctor expectantly.

"He's going to be fine," the doctor said.

There was a collective sigh of relief from the Avengers and tears of joy from Pepper, who was sobbing with relief.

"It's all right, Pepper. He's going to be fine and he'll be back to annoying all of us in no time," Bruce said as he put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

She sniffed and calmed herself before turning back to the doctor as he began speaking again.

"The surgery went well. We'll probably keep him here for a week and a half to two weeks. After that he will be able to go home. He'll be sore for a while and he'll have to take it easy, but he will make a full recovery."

"When can we see him?" Bruce asked.

"Right now if you'd like. He's out of recovery and already awake," the doctor said.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the doctor was forced to leap out of the way as an emotional girlfriend, and a group of superhero friends, nearly trampled him in their haste to get into the room and see Tony.

Tony's head jerked up at the sound of the double doors almost flying off their hinges. As it was, the doors came to rest against the walls behind them. Each had one hinge broken with the other just barely hanging on as Pepper, flanked by the super-strong (and a bit overzealous) Steve and Thor, crashed through the doors. Bruce and Natasha were right behind them.

Pepper ran forward and threw her arms (gently) around Tony.

"Hey, Pep," he said.

She looked at him a moment before bursting into tears once more.

"Hey. Hey. I'm okay, Pepper. I'm all right. I promise," he said brushing away her tears.

He was careful not to move too much and aggravate his wound. Although he really didn't think it would matter. He could probably get up and dance a jig and he wouldn't feel it. Pain killers were awesome!

Pepper sniffed and dried her eyes. Then she reached over and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, what was that for?" Tony cried indignantly.

"That was for nearly scaring me to death," Pepper replied. Natasha snickered behind her.

"Sorry," he said taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

She returned the gesture and he knew he was forgiven. He turned and surveyed the room taking in the rest of the team. All except…

"Hey, where's Cupid?" he asked.

The others looked around, finally noticing the archer's absence.

"He was right behind us," Steve said.

**)()()(**

As the others rushed into the room, Clint hung back and stayed in the hallway.

He really, _really _didn't want to go in there right now (or maybe ever).

He knew he would have to face up to Tony eventually, but now wasn't the right time. Tony had just gotten out of surgery and Clint didn't want to upset him. So he turned and began to walk back up the hall, sure that no one would notice his absence. That was until he heard someone call his name.

**)()()(**

Steve wandered back out into the hall, Bruce and Thor following behind him. The three of them had a sneaking suspicion that Clint wasn't going into that room without a little… _help._

"Clint?" Bruce called as he spotted Clint walking up the hall away from them.

Clint froze. Then he slowly turned around.

"Yeah?" he asked, slightly nervous.

"Aren't you coming in?" Bruce asked.

"Uh…" Clint said frantically searching for an excuse.

"Friend Tony inquired about your absence," Thor said.

"I- I'll see him later. I just have some stuff to take care of and-" Clint was cut off as Thor grabbed him. Thor pushed Clint in front of him while Steve and Bruce each grabbed one of the archer's arms.

"You're not stalling, avoiding, or otherwise putting this off," Steve declared as they practically dragged Clint back toward Tony's room.

"Relax Clint. There's nothing to worry about. Tony is not going to blame you," Bruce said reassuringly.

They reached the room and all but pushed him into it.

"Hey Legolas. 'Bout time you joined the party," Tony said as he spotted Clint. "From what the docs tell me I owe you my life. If it wasn't for you getting me help so quickly I probably wouldn't have made it."

"If it wasn't for me you wouldn't be here at all," Clint said quietly, but the others heard him anyway.

"Could you guys give us a second?" Tony asked, not taking his eyes off Clint.

They all looked back and forth between the two men before silently filing out of the room.

"Clint, this wasn't your fault," Tony said as soon as they were alone.

"Yes it was, Tony. I shot you. _I shot _you! This is completely my fault!" Clint exploded.

"You done?" Tony asked sarcastically. "Now as I was saying, this is not your fault," he held up a hand to stop Clint's protest. "Yes, I know you shot me but it was an accident. You didn't mean to and I don't blame you. If anyone is to blame it's me. It's my fault for following you into the woods instead of staying put like you told me to."

"That's another thing. Why can't you do as you're told?" Clint asked, partially curious but mostly irritated.

"I saw the assassin right inside the woods not long after you left. He was staring at something I couldn't see. Then he smiled this really creepy smile and I knew he had to have spotted you. I had to warn you. I guess I didn't really think it through."

Clint couldn't help but snort at that. When did Tony _ever_ think _anything_ through?

"I went into the woods to look for you. It only took me a few minutes to find you crouched down in the brush. Unfortunately that's all it took for the assassin too. He had a gun. He was going to shoot you and you still had your back to us, so I took off running to try to warn you. I didn't think about the fact that I might startle you by running up behind you like that. In hind sight, I probably should have run at the assassin instead of at you," he mused.

"Yeah, so he could shoot you with a gun, instead of me shooting you with an arrow. That's a lot better," Clint said, his voice dripping sarcasm. Tony just stuck his tongue out at him.

"But seriously, how did you manage to do that?"

"What?" Tony asked.

"Sneak up on me. I never heard you. I heard rustling coming from the direction where I found the assassin, but I never heard anything from behind me. Not until you started running. How did you do that?"

"I can be quiet when I want to be," Tony said smugly.

"Oh, I highly doubt that, Metal Head," Clint said.

"Contrary to _your_ belief, Feather Brains, I can be very sneaky," Tony shot back.

"Sneaky? Yes. Quiet? No," Clint replied.

"You just wait until I'm out of here and I'll show you the meaning of stealth, Robin Hood," Tony challenged.

"You're on, Iron Butt. Once you're out of here we'll have a little competition, and then we'll see just who teaches who the meaning of stealth," Clint declared.

"Fine. Oh, you might want to get in some practice if you want to beat me. Maybe the Hulk could give you a few pointers."

The rest of the team rushed back into the room at the sound of Tony shouting, but the sight that greeted them wasn't what they were expecting. Clint stood across the room, a cup in his hand, throwing ice chips down Tony's shirt, with uncanny accuracy.

"Help!" Tony yelped as he tried to get the cold ice out of his shirt, only to have more added to it.

The only response Tony got from his team and girlfriend was laughter.

* * *

**Since I've been begging for reviews up until now I thought I'd mix it up and tell you not to review, but then I realized that I love receiving and reading your reviews too much for that. So I'm going to be selfish and ask you to: Please Review! ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Well, this is the end. :( Fortunately, I do have a few other ideas in the works. Including my other story I have posted on here called _Operation London. _If you like the Avengers and you like the Olympics, and you would like to read about the Avengers _at _the Olympics then check it out. :)**

**Once again everlasting thanks go to all of you wonderful people who alerted, faved, and reviewed! **

**Thanks also go to the guys over on The Beta Branch for the beta. Those guys are awesome!**

**Disclaimer: And… we've been over this.**

**Epilogue**

"Oh come on!" Steve yelled as he was eliminated.

The little challenge between Clint and Tony had interested the others on the team, causing the little challenge to grow into a full blown training exercise.

The objective was to be as stealthy as possible and eliminate each other. According to Tony, 'The team could work on their sneakiness and have fun at the same time.' In Thor's case, though, it was more like working on being less loud which, for him, qualified as being sneaky.

They were all in a dimly lit training room. It was set up in a maze like layout with several dividers winding throughout the room. Thor had been eliminated pretty early on by Steve, who was doing pretty well thanks to his covert missions background. Surprisingly, Bruce was actually holding his own. But the two of them soon fell to Tony's shockingly superior skill.

Bruce turned a corner and came face-to-hand with Tony's outstretched palm (they weren't stupid enough to use real weapons) just like if he was wearing his suit and aiming his repulsor at an enemy. His hand was pointed right between Bruce's eyes, inches from the physicist's face thus eliminating him from the competition.

Steve was the next to fall as Tony snuck up behind him and wrapped his arms around the Captain's throat. It would have been a sleeper hold had the billionaire actually put any pressure on Steve's neck. So Steve was forced to leave the training room. He joined Bruce and Thor outside where they, Fury, Pepper, and a large number of SHIELD personnel were watching the exercise via the cameras in the training room.

News of the challenge had spread throughout the helicarrier and those on-board had jumped at the chance to not only see the Avengers in action (even if it was just a training exercise), but to see them going head-to-head with each other. Of course, as soon as the news had gotten out bets had been made on who would win.

It was no surprise that 85% of the bets had been placed evenly between Clint and Natasha. Not only were they both very well trained spies, but they were two of the best SHIELD agents in the whole organization. Of course nobody had bet on Thor (no one was quite that optimistic when it came to the warrior's stealth abilities). The majority of the remaining 15% had been put on Steve because of his soldier background. Surprisingly, a few bets had even been placed on Bruce. The fact that in his human form the scientist was normally pretty quiet, caused a handful of people to take a chance on the long-shot. As for Tony, though, so many people knew how loud and obnoxious the billionaire could be (as well as how impossible it was to shut him up) so only two people had put any money on him.

But the watchers were soon regretting not betting on Tony as they watched him pick off his teammates with seeming ease. Now with three Avengers out of the running it was down to Clint, Tony, and Natasha. That didn't last long as (much to the dismay of several of the gamblers) Clint eliminated Natasha. She was a good agent and an excellent fighter but she didn't possess quite the same level of stealth that Clint did.

Now it was down to Tony and Clint, a surprising outcome, but now the winner was clear. Everyone fully expected Clint to take out Tony who, most felt, had just been lucky so far. But it soon became apparent that Tony wasn't lucky, he was _good_.

The other members of the Avengers, the SHIELD personnel, and Nick Fury himself watched in shocked amazement as Tony seemingly melted into the shadows and stayed all but invisible as he slipped from shadow to shadow like a phantom. The only movement coming from Tony could be attributed to a trick of the light if someone didn't know better. The watchers were having a hard time keeping track of the billionaire even with the help of the high tech cameras. Tony wasn't the only one that was pulling off a great disappearing act, though. Clint was likewise melding into the darkness as he moved about the training area. The spectators watched with rapt attention as Tony and Clint played a completely silent and nearly invisible game of cat and mouse. It took them several minutes of advancing, retreating, appearing, and disappearing before it reached a climax as Tony somehow vanished from the cameras' sensors. Judging by the way Clint froze, he had lost track of the genius as well.

They watched as Clint stood still a moment, studying his surroundings before cautiously moving forward. He had only gone a few feet when, out of nowhere, Tony appeared from the shadows of the ceiling, hanging upside-down, right above Clint. In a perfect impersonation of a gymnast, he swung down from his hiding place, letting go with his legs and using his momentum to flip right side up to land on his feet right behind Clint. Just as he hit the ground and raised his palm at Clint, the archer spun around and leveled his 'invisible bow' at the billionaire. The two men stared at each other without moving. After a minute Tony spoke.

"I guess it's a draw," he said with a smirk as he dropped his arm.

"Yeah, I guess so," Clint said dropping his arms and smiling back. "Man Tony! You did great. The last place I was expecting you to come from was the ceiling. I didn't know you were there until you hit the ground. I underestimated you," Clint admitted as he slapped Tony's shoulder.

Tony couldn't help the smile that crossed his face at Clint's compliment. Coming from the archer that was high praise.

"Yeah, well, you didn't do too bad yourself. You made me work for it. To be quite honest, the ceiling was my last idea. If it hadn't worked, I wasn't sure what else to try."

"I'll remember that next time," Clint said.

Then the two men left the training room and nearly busted out laughing at the sight that greeted them. As it was, they smiled widely and chuckled at what they saw.

Every SHIELD agent that had been watching had their mouths hanging open in shock as they stared at Tony with a mixture of awe and disbelief. Even Fury and the other Avengers looked amazed that Tony had managed to match Clint. After a moment someone finally spoke up.

"So does that mean nobody won the bet?" one of the agents asked.

"It has to. Nobody even bet on Tony at all, let alone on them both," another said.

"Actually," the agent who was keeping track of the bets spoke up, "there were two bets on Tony."

Everyone turned to look at the agent in astonishment.

"Who?" the first agent asked incredulously.

"Ms. Potts."

Everyone looked at a smiling Pepper.

"I've know Tony for years. I know how sneaky he can be when he wants to. How do you think he's always getting out of those board meetings? I can never find him," she explained with a smirk.

"Who else bet on him?" the second agent asked.

"The other was…" The 'bookie' trailed off as he checked his notes then looked up in confusion. "Agent Barton?"

They all looked at Clint, bewildered.

"You bet on Tony?" Natasha asked in disbelief.

"I had a feeling," Clint said with a shrug.

"He threw the match," someone tossed out.

Clint glared in the general direction of the voice.

"I didn't throw anything!" he snapped. "Tony matched me because he's that good."

"Why _did_ you bet on me?" Tony asked curiously.

"Actually, I bet you'd tie me," Clint said.

"So _he _won the bet?" the first agent asked as he motioned to Clint.

"He _and_ Ms. Potts won. They both bet on a tie."

All of the other agents looked at them in astonishment.

"You didn't answer my question," Tony said looking at Clint. "How did you know that I would tie you?"

"In the woods you snuck up on me and I never heard you. I heard the assassin moving in the brush but I never heard you, not until you started running. That's not something that's easy to do. I figured you had to have some skills I didn't know about but I didn't think you'd be able to beat me, so I bet on a tie. But next time…" Clint paused and pointed at Tony, "next time I'm betting on me to win."

"You go right ahead, but don't expect to collect," Tony said as he walked toward the door.

"We'll see about that," Clint replied following him.

The rest of their banter was lost as they exited the room leaving a bunch of stunned SHIELD agents and a few dumbfounded Avengers in their wake.

**The End**

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